Trace Elliot GP12 SMX 410 Combo

This amp was made in 1994 or 1995 I believe. This has more than enough for any style of music... I mainly play indie, punk, hardcore, jazz, and rock and I can dial in all the tones I need. This does not have a headphone jack, but with how powerful it is, you can tell this beast is not made for using with headphones. It has two pre-shapes which I could not live without along with the 12 band EQ. This amp has it all and more. This baby is LOUD LOUD LOUD!! I can have the volume at 3 and be loud enough for any of the gigs I play(relatively smaller venues). It also has the blend knob for solid state or tube, which gives everything a lot richer, warmer sound.

I mainly use a Fender Jazz Deluxe Active bass with this which has Fender Noiseless Jazz pickups, and I could not be happier with the fullness and warmness I get from the amp. It fits any style of music perfectly. It has a little bit of noise, but it is not noticeable at gigs. The amp has all the variety you need, and like I have said, can fit any and all sounds. I bought this amp from my cousin who plays funk, jazz, metal, rock, punk, and everything in between and this amp could do everything he plays, and everything I play perfectly. It sounds great even at higher volumes, and never loses it's great tone.

I will be using this amp at gigs, and also on tour. It is a beast. It has not broken down, and the on board fan makes it unlikely it will ever over heat.

Haven't had to deal with Trace Elliot.

I have been playing for 10 years now, and already I know that this is the amp for me. Has all the power, versatility, and tone I will ever need. I also own an SWR workingman's 4004, and this thing blows it out of the water all around. If this were lost, I would instantly try to get my hands on another one. I love everything this amp has to offer! I have compared to all newer amps; Ampeg, SWR, GK, etc.., and nothing, in my opinion, compares to this. If you find one of these, get it. Don't sleep on this because if you miss out you will be sorry.

Made in 1995 before the Gibson ?Borg? assimilated T.E. It has a lot of very useful features:
1. Single input w/active or passive switch
2. Blend knob for solid-state or tube (a real 12ax7!)
3. 12-band graphic EQ from 30Hz to 15KHz w/on-off switch, also a level adjust for the EQ
4. Two pre-shape settings w/on-off switch
5. Two-band compression: one for low, one for high.
6. An EQ balance knob. TE doesn?t say how it works, they just say that it shifts the mid point of the EQ lower or higher?sort of.
7. Effects level knob
8. A stand-by switch
9. Effects send/receive jacks w/adjustable level and full range/hi-pass switch
10. Tuner output
11. DI output jack
12. Footswitch jack to turn the pre-shape and EQ on or off
13. Two 8-ohm speaker outputs.
14. Four Celestion C10???? 10? speakers and a Fostex horn (non-adjustable).

Since I?ve had this I really come to appreciate many of its features. The 12-band EQ is very flexible; I use pre-shape #2 all the time, the low compression helps tighten things up, I can?t live without the stand-by switch now (along with the tuner output which stays on regardless of the switch setting), I run straight to the board through the DI output, and I made my own footswitch to turn the pre-shape and EQ off and on. Everything is easy to use and has a purpose?they?re not just bells and whistles, but add to the usefulness of this amp.

Things it is missing: a headphone output (small gripe ? a combo like this is meant to be used LIVE), stereo outs for the preamp like the higher-end versions (like the straight preamp or the SMX600 version) but it IS a combo and isn?t designed for a rack system. It also doesn?t have the built-in black light to make the face glow that ?Trace? green. I made my own solution for this, however. :)

I don?t find the footswitch that useful. If you like to change your tone live it?s great; I don?t however. A switch to go between the two pre-shapes would be nice; also a remote switch to put the amp on stand-by would be useful to me. Hmm, I wonder if some creative wiring could be employed to accomplish this? Anyway, overall it?s great.

One control I found difficult to dial in was the effects loop gain control on the back. Effects units will generally say what level they operate most efficiently at, but I have no way of knowing (other than by trial and error) what level that is as there are no indicators whatsoever, i.e. 1 v RMS, etc. on the chassis. I got my H2O pedal to work find with it though, so once you have it set you are good to go.

I purchased this to replace the antiquated Peavey Mark VI head I was playing through for the band I?m in. Don?t get me wrong, the Peavey is rock-solid, reliable, and sounds good; it just doesn?t have the diversity and tone-shaping capability this has. The addition of four 10?s and a tweeter helped clarity on stage as well. With 280 watts RMS and 580 peak, it has no problem keeping up with our two guitar players and the hard rock/metal/nu-metal we play.

I?ve used it with a Dingwall Z1 bass and a Peavey Cirrus. I also use a Visual Sound H2O Liquid Chorus & Echo pedal. The sound is fantastic IMO (boy, that?s subjective). There isn?t an attenuator on the horn but it matches the entire system perfectly?it?s not too loud or hissy, but you can tell it adds to the definition. Besides, adjusting the 12-band can bring out or cut the highs, so an attenuator isn?t necessary. THIS is what my bass is supposed to sound like! I noticed some noise in my bedroom after I first got it but in a live situation it sounds clean and clear.

I really like the tones I can get from this unit. The adjustments onboard the pre are great; the tube blend does more to the sound than warming it up a bit?it seems to add more guts to the sound, more beef if you will. The compressor helps tighten up the bottom, and the 12-band provides ultimate flexibility. The EQ balance knob seems to work like a parametric EQ; it can boost the lows or highs, without cutting too much out. Weird, but it works.

I don?t think this amp has seen very much use. I do know that it has sat in my local music shop for the past four years (at least) doing nothing. I?ve heard the older units are reliable with very few exceptions, so I think this one will be fine. However, one of the speaker wires broke causing only one of the 10's to be functional. A little solder and it worked like a champ, so if you find one check the speaker wiring.

After some months of use (and after starting on this review) the amp has held up great. I made my own junction box to add two dual-15? cabs (one sits under one of our guitar player?s stack) to it in addition to the four 10?s already in the combo itself and it works great. Our stage volume is pretty loud and I have no problem matching volume with two 100-plus watt guitar stacks. I don?t even have the volume close to its maximum output; the amp never seems to break a sweat.

They went belly up, but came back. Not sure how things are going now, but they did respond to my email request for a manual (in PDF format) within 24 hours - how cool is that? I give 'em a 9.

I?ve been playing for eight years. In addition, I have one electric guitar and three acoustics. I really like the sounds I can get out of this combo. If it were stolen I would definitely be on the lookout for another Trace amp. I haven?t seen many of these so I may have to settle for a head/cab type of setup, but that would be OK too. I haven?t found much I don?t like about it as of yet. It has all the tone-shaping features I could wish for and more in one unit. It doesn't fit well in my bedroom but hey, it is a 4-10 cab with an amp in it. I did get it for a very good price; considering that, it's a 10 to me.